O
fficially,hiscountrywasnot
at war,butforCaptainRoger
H.C.Donlonthatpointwas
irrelevant.Hewasin harm’s
way,andheknewit.
LeadingTeamA-726,a 12-mandetachment
fromCompanyC, USArmySeventhSpecial
ForcesGroup,Donlonwascooperatingwith
311 SouthVietnamesetroops, 60 anti-
communistChinesemercenariescalledNungs,
AustralianWarrantOfficerKevinConwayand
DrGeraldHickey,anexpertonpeoplesof
themountainousregionof SouthVietnam,at
CampNamDong, 15 milesfromthefrontier
withneighbouringLaos.TheWesternerswere
advisors,assistingtheSouthVietnamesein
theirstruggleagainsttheVietConginsurgency
andtheNorthVietnameseArmyintenton
unifyingVietnamundercommunistrule.
“Ourjobwasto trainandassistthe
Vietnameseregulars,”heremembered.But
inevitablytheAmericanswouldbecome
embroiledin combat.Donlonandhiscommand
hadbeenin Vietnamjustovera monthashe
checkedtheinnerperimeterat NamDongin
thepredawnhoursof 6 July1964.Bytheend
of theyear,morethan 200 Americanshad
beenkilledin Vietnam.
Onthatsummernight,Donlonwasuneasy.
Everythingwasquiet,buttheVietCongwere
nearby.Therewasnodoubt.Anextended
patrolhadalreadywarnedthatthenativesin
surroundingvillageswerenervous.Thepatrolhaddiscoveredthebodiesof twovillagechiefs,
executedbythecommunists.Donlonglanced
at hiswatch,notingthetimeof 2.26am.
Secondslater,allhellbrokeloose.
Mortarroundsbeganfallingwithpinpoint
accuracyinsidethecamp,andimmediately
theclatterof small-armsfirecrackledthrough
thedarkness.Donlonhadmadehiswayto the
messhalljustin timefora mortarroundto
blasttheroofoffthebuildingin a blindingflash,
sendinghimreelingbackthroughthedoor.For
severalharrowinghoursthatday,thedefenders
of NamDongfoughta desperatebattlewith
a reinforcedbattalionof VietConginsurgents
outnumberingthemnearlythreeto one.Asthe
fightingraged,Donlonseemedeverywhere.Seriouslywounded,hewaslaterawardedthe
Medalof Honorforheroism.
Shakingofftheeffectsof themortarblast,
Donlonmadehiswayto thecommandpost,
wheretheradiooperator,StaffSergeantKeith
Daniels,wasalreadycallingforairsupport,a
flaredropto illuminatethesurroundingarea
andattackplanesto helpstemthecommunist
tide.Justafterhisarrival,a directhitblasted
thecommunicationsroom.Swiftly,theentire
commandpostwasin flames.
DonlonandMasterSergeantGabrielRalph
Alamoretrievedpreciousammunitionand
equipmentamidthechaos,asoneof their
Vietnameseinterpreterswascutdownby
shrapnel,losingbothlegs.Hediedin less
thana minute.AstheVietCongpenetrated
theouterperimeter,Conwaywashitbetween
theeyes,tumblingforwardintoa defensive
position.Withina halfhour,hetoowasdead.
EverywheretheNamDongdefenders
respondedto therushof enemyguerrillas
attemptingto blowthemaingateopenandcross
barriersof barbedwire.Thedefendersfired
81mmand60mmmortarroundsasfastasthey
could,andthebarrelsof machinegunsbegan
to overheat.DonlonspottedthreeVietCongat
thegate.HefiredsixroundsfromhisAR-15rifle,
twoof themcrumpledto theground.Hethrewa
grenade,andtheotherfellin a motionlessheap.
The30-year-oldofficerbarelynoticedthathehad
beenwoundedtwice,in thearmandstomach.
Tearingoffa pieceof hisshirt,hestuffedit intoDefending a remote outpost near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Captain Donlon
and a determined garrison at Nam Dong repelled a superior Viet Cong
force that threatened them with annihilation
Heroes of t e Medal of Honor
WORDS MICHAEL E. HASKEW
“WE PREPARED FOR THE
WORST. WE SAID IF WE EVER
GOT IN THE WORST SITUATION,
WE WOULD NEVER ALLOW
OURSELVES TO BE CAPTURED.
WE’D GO DOWN FIGHTING”
Captain Roger H.C. Donlon